Avatarium: Drabbles & Oneshots
by Tiasha
Summary: The main pairing will be Zutara, so if you don't like it, this might not be for you then! This is a series of drabbles/oneshots that I have written. Some will follow a timeline that I created for my own amusement, others will be...random.
1. To Return Peace

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Title: To Return Peace

Author: Tiasha

Type: One-shot/Drabble

Word Count: 437

It was strange really. He had been chasing the Avatar for the past three years in order to return home and restore his honor. Now, he was giving up.

The Fire Nation was no longer the loving and embracing home he remembered it to be; and his father would never allow him to restore his honor fully. A harsh truth he had finally come to terms with. His uncle's "betrayal" to the Fire Nation had also aided in him coming to this realization, for how could someone so understanding, compassionate and loyal betray the nation he had served and loved? No, his uncle was no traitor. He never was and never would be.

"Are you sure about this nephew?" his uncle questioned before they began a mission that there was no turning back from.

"Yes, uncle; I'm more sure about this than I have ever been before."

His uncle was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer to the elder man's question. "You understand the consequences of helping the Avatar? There will be no excuses for our behavior. You will have no chance to return home or restore your honor. You will be deemed—"

"There was no welcome awaiting me the moment my father assigned me the task of capturing the Avatar three years ago," he interrupted his uncle, eyes narrowing in anger at himself for having been so blind in the past.

"Then let us go, nephew."

He nodded; "They'll be heading for the Earth Kingdom. No doubt about that."

He watched his uncle raise an inquisitive eyebrow at him, arms folded in his sleeves as they sat off in a corner of the shipping rig they had bought passage on. "Oh? You believe the boy has mastered waterbending already?"

"There is no need for them to travel to the South Pole, uncle. That girl knows enough to teach him."

His uncle grunted in agreement to his decision and deduction.

Silence settled around them, broken only by the sounds of the waves lapping against the hull of the rig and the harsh artic-like winds howling around them.

"And how do you plan on convincing them that you now wish to help them?"

He furrowed his brow in thought; he hadn't quite thought that far ahead yet. Well, shoot…here he was trying to be grown-up and come to terms with reality…and he hadn't thought about how to convince them yet… "I'll think of something."

"Of course."

The tone in his uncle's voice told him that the elder man was slightly amused with his flawed plan. Well, no kudos for him when they reached the next port then…


	2. Life

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

**Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Title: Life**

**Author: Tiasha**

_Type: One-shot/Drabble_

_Word Count: 977_

* * *

She had come to understand that life worked in strange, mysterious ways. For instance, tagging along with her brother that fateful day when they crashed their boat and were stranded in the middle of the ocean. If Sokka had not opened his big, sexist mouth, she would not have broke down and yelled at him in a fit of anger, breaking of a huge chunk of ice from a nearby iceberg in the process (she still had no idea exactly how she had accomplished that…); nor would they have found Aang sleeping inside that iceberg for what had been over a hundred years. Nope, none of that would have happened if she had decided to stay at home and help Gran-Gran.

Then there were all those mishaps and adventures leading up to their main goal; helping Aang master all the elements. All those little detours and fights and practice had led them to the North Pole—to the Northern Water Tribe to learn waterbending. Then there had been the problem of getting Master Pakku to teach her. That had _so_ not been kosher…period. Getting trapped in that ice had hurt! But, if she hadn't fought him, her necklace wouldn't have come off and Master Pakku wouldn't have changed his mind upon seeing it. So, it had all worked out in the end, despite her losing the initial fight.

Then during the invasion, she had had to fight against the exiled Fire Nation prince, who had looked a bit worse for wear when she thought back on it. He had always been determined to capture Aang…although for what reason, she had not known. But she still fought him, and she had been worried the moment she heard his voice, that she would freeze up and make a mistake. And she had, but at the time, she still had not known the workings of bending. She had just learned that waterbending depended on the Moon and the Ocean spirits…those koi fish… How was she to have known that firebending depended on the sun? Yet she had held her own and eventually got Aang back.

And then Sokka and Yue… Her heart still ached for her brother when she remembered the princess and how they had seemed so right for each other and how brave the elder girl had been. She couldn't imagine how terrible Sokka had felt when Yue just sacrificed herself like that. To have lost someone that you cared for that much? No…she was sure she never wanted to know that pain…but she still prayed for her brother to find another person that he could care for as deeply as he had for Yue.

Yes…life worked in strange and mysterious ways…and not always in a happy manner either.

But it always—_always_—managed to throw you for a loop. Like Prince Zuko requesting to join them not even a month after the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Boy had that been a shock. They all had believed it to be a trap—well at least her and Sokka had… Aang had seemed more than willing to give the young prince a chance, and she had learned to trust Aang on some things…and she believed that there was something the young avatar was not telling her, but what could she do? He hadn't told her for good reason, and she would just have to accept that.

So they had given the young prince a chance and had learned that his father had most likely gone insane at this point. Really, to call your own brother a traitor when said brother was trying to save the entire _balance_ of the _world_… That had been the last straw for the prince, or so the uncle presumed since the firebending boy had not seemed eager to discuss certain matters.

But eventually, the firebending prince began to open up…at least to her and Aang since Sokka was still hell-bent on seeing Prince Zuko as a threat—for the most part. Sokka didn't turn down the travel accommodations or food the Prince and retired General could gain due to their status and reputation, nor had she really expected her brother to.

But perhaps the most wonky result of Prince Zuko joining the three of them on there journey, was the attraction that started to grow between her and him. At first she couldn't understand it—she couldn't understand why her stomach would clench in anticipation when she was in his company, when it was just the two of them; nor could she understand why her face would flush occasionally or why she would catch herself staring at him—not at his scar, but at _him_. She had finally cajoled the story behind that scar from him, using his short-fuse of a temper to get a one up on him and from the moment she had learned the history of that scar, she had ceased to see it as such. It was no longer _a scar_ to her, it was something else…

It defined him, his character, and the good in his heart that he had constantly overshadowed with his need for acceptance from his father and to gain back his 'honor.' It became somewhat endearing to her since she was the only one of her little trio to know the truth…and it still was. Life was strange, mysterious and unpredictable…

However, she had an inkling that with her luck, she'd fall for the troubled, short-tempered, firebending prince. And Zuko would insult her, Sokka would have a conniption fit, Aang would be hurt but happy for her and Iroh—he'd probably be urging for great nieces and nephews as soon as possible… Ugh…what a pain…

And with that train of thought, Katara came to another conclusion. Life was troublesome and love was even more troublesome than life. Now she'd have to decide if Zuko was worth the effort…


	3. Anchor

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

* * *

**Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Title: Anchor**

**Author: Tiasha**

_Type: One-shot/Drabble_

_Word Count: 1,060_

* * *

"Well, if it isn't my visibly-challenged elder brother. Fancy seeing _you_ here. I thought you'd still be futilely pursuing the _Avatar_ with that **dinky** boat of yours." 

His heartbeat quickened at the sound of her voice. He hadn't heard her speak in over three years, and looking back on it now, it was a shame she even had to speak at all. Her taunting, conniving, snide words always brought back painful memories, memories filled with confusion, distrust, rejection, betrayal…

Yup; he wished she hadn't opened that hole she called a mouth at all.

"Sister," he said, grudgingly acknowledging her as he turned around to face her. A smug smile was on her lips as her amber gaze met his and they flashed with arrogance and ambition. "Still out to steal the throne?" he jeered, knowing that she hated it when he rubbed the fact that he was—or had been—in line for the throne before her. Even now, it would be a while before she'd get her hands on it; Zuko knew his father would make sure of that. His father loved power too much to just _give_ it to her.

Her pretty face contorted into a sneer, eyes hard and dancing with a promise of pain. Well, that wasn't new. She had always gained a sadistic pleasure from the pain and torture of others. He was no exception and knew from experience.

Her sneer vanished fairly quickly though, returning to that smug look of satisfaction. "Naturally, but I can wait. I know how to bide my time. Unlike certain traitors that I know."

His jaw clenched at the derogatory word. How could she? How could she stomach calling their uncle a traitor! Flames licked around his fists that were clenched at his sides, the only testament to how upset he was. He amazingly kept his face neutral.

"I see. So are you going to arrest me? Or are you simply going to lie to father and make up some story of how I got away?"

"_You_ I could care less about. It's the Avatar and Iroh I'm more interested in. _They_ are the ones who have a hefty bounty on their heads."

He felt as if his entire body was on fire due to the anger coursing through him. She was seriously going to turn in their uncle, all because he had tried to keep Zhao from throwing the _entire_ world into chaos, a chaos that the Fire Nation could not control or rule over. She was sick, and now was the first time it was _ever_ so blatantly clear.

"So…where are they? Oh come now, you can tell me. Wouldn't want to seem like an even bigger traitor, now would we? Besides, I could always put in a _good word_ to father about how you _helped_."

He felt as if he was suffocating from the heat surrounding him. She was seriously starting to piss him off.

A gentle touch to his arm and he glanced down to his right for a moment, his fiery amber gaze meeting cool, tranquil blue. Her hand continued to linger on his arm even after he swept his gaze back to his sister, noting the slightly intrigued look on her face at seeing the Water Tribe girl next to him and committing such an intimate gesture to the exiled prince. But there was also confusion underlying her intrigue.

Zuko suppressed the urge to smirk at his younger sister's confusion. She didn't understand, and he wasn't about to explain it to her. His sister would never know the feelings that he and Katara shared, would never experience them; for Zula was driven by greed and ambition, hatred and rage, lust and desire. Shame really, she wouldn't know of the adoration, contentment, security, acceptance, warmth and happiness that stemmed from a loving relationship. Not that he and Katara were a _perfect_ couple per say, they did have their arguments (quite a few in fact but he'd rather drop dead than admit _that_ to anyone who _hadn't_ been in the hearing vicinity of their arguments), but they worked on it. They didn't just _give up_.

"We haven't seen them," Katara said from her position at his side, a slight frown of concern on her face. "We haven't seen or heard of their whereabouts for almost two months, right? If we had, I doubt I'd be under his thumb still." She inclined her head towards the exiled prince to show that it was _his_ thumb she was referring to. Zuko simply nodded, not trusting his mouth around his sister right now. No matter what he said, Zula could always turn his words into a reason to start a physical fight.

The Fire Nation Princess looked as if she were going to argue when a soldier approached her and whispered something in her ear. A look of displeasure affixed itself on her face and as she looked them both over once more, her eyes seemed to hold disgust for Katara. Zuko's blood heated in self-defense of the Water Tribe girl…_his_ Water Tribe girl.

"Very well. You may do as you please, _brother dear_," she said, the emphasis on "brother dear" being snide and hateful. "But rest assured, we will cross paths again. And if I receive word that you were lying… I'll throw you both into prison…indefinitely."

With one last dark, hateful look at him and a contemptuous one at Katara, she was gone, walking away from the market they were standing in towards the docks where her navy fleet was waiting for her.

Katara's hand still laid on his arm even as his sister vanished from their sight completely, reassurance and support emanating from her cool demeanor.

No… Zula would never understand his feelings for Katara. He would never explain them to the firebending girl, not now nor in the future. After all, the idea of fire and water together would be absurd in the Fire Nation Princess's mind. The two could never mix. And they couldn't; not for her at least.

But for him…he'd been at sea for just over three years. He had grown quite accustomed to the sea…to water. For Zuko, Katara was his anchor and harbor. And her gentle waves would always call him back to the ocean, to where the sun and sea met on the horizon and were in harmony.


	4. A Good Day

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

* * *

**Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Title: A Good Day**

**Author: Tiasha**

_Type: One-shot/Drabble_

_Word Count: 1,830_

_Completed: 2006.02.19_

* * *

The shift in the mattress alerted her to the possibility of her traveling companion leaving her to fend for herself, and so she rolled over, blinking at him sleepily. She watched as he pulled on his arm guards and boots, forsaking the armor plating for a reason only he knew. His hair was also tied up in its usual ponytail with the same piece of cloth she had seen it with since the day he had joined them. 

She rubbed the sleep from one eye as she looked towards the window, sunlight barely creeping in through the closed blinds. The movement caught her companion's attention and he turned his head to look at her, his golden eyes roaming over her face before a frown settled over his slightly angular features. Brow furrowed he opened his mouth to speak but she made a sound of disgruntlement and buried her face back into the pillow beneath her.

There was the sound of air being released and she surmised that he had sighed and was preparing to leave, figuring she'd go back to sleep. Not likely. She never liked the idea of falling asleep alone when in a strange town; it was too unsettling for her taste and the possibility of being captured while sleeping hardly appealed to her. Nope, the moment he walked out that door, she'd be wide awake. Jerk.

A hand came to rest at her temple before slowly pushing the tresses and bead away from her face, the movement somewhat hesitant and unsure. Silly boy…still trying to act as if he didn't care… Her lips twitched upward at the comforting gesture and a sigh of contentment escaped her.

Blue eyes opened to meet gold; she waited for him to speak—it was too early for her to spark an argument first.

"Go back to sleep."

She frowned at the authoritative tone he had spoken in just now. He _really_ expected her to be able to put her nerves at ease long enough to do such a thing? Not only that, but he _really_ expected her to just _follow_ orders from him? As if! She had yet to do such a thing and she _wasn't_ about to start now!

"What are you doing? Why are you up so early?" she questioned, almost fully awake now; although, that sweeping motion of his hand on her face was soothing and making her eyes start to droop again…

"It's not early and I'm going to speak with the inn keeper—see if we can get another night or two here since word from your brother and Aang hasn't arrived yet."

She nodded and once again sighed in contentment, the bed warm and cozy and inviting. If that was all he was going to do then maybe she _could_ get another hour or so of sleep…

"Oh…okay…" she slurred slightly, rolling away from him and snuggling back down under the covers. When he didn't move right away, she maneuvered her legs so that she could give him a good send off and he growled at her in annoyance.

"Watch it!" he warned, face stern and angered. She paid him no mind.

"Get off…I wanna get some more sleep if that's all you're going to do. After all, you snore, Zuko; so this is my one chance at some real sleep," she jeered good-naturedly. Truthfully, it was his uncle who snored, not him but she still couldn't resist the jibe.

"Yeah, well…you hog the blankets…and you're feet are like ice." And Zuko knew she was teasing too. They're teasing made the situation somewhat easier. Having to share a room was one thing, but having to share a bed was another. They both had just come to terms that they liked one another, that what they felt was going beyond companionship and friendship. That didn't mean they were ready to—to—to—she didn't even want to think that far ahead! That was just too much for her to handle right now…

"Shmuck."

"Wench."

"Jerk."

"Idjit."

"Arrogant prince."

"Stubborn peasant."

"Go away! Let me sleep!"

"Fine! But only because you need it! Bags are starting to show!"

Her eyes shot open, lips twisted in a frown and she gripped the corner of the pillow in her hand. Glancing out the corner of her eye, she gauged where he was and where he would most likely move to the moment she showed signs of retaliation, before sitting up in bed and throwing the pillow at him. She watched him swat the pillow out of its trajectory path towards his face, eyes closed and shaking his head at her display of "childish" behavior and then turn around with his back to her.

A growl of determination escaped her throat as she launched herself off the mattress at him, arms raised and outstretched to tackle him. He had barely begun to turn back to her upon hearing her growl, when she collided with his broad back and knocked him off his feet. They both crashed to the wood floor, her trying to ensnare both arms behind his back and he trying to flip her off of him. Limbs banged against one another and thudded against the floor as the two wrestled for dominance over the other before Zuko finally "won." He pinned both her hands on either side of her head and sat just below her kneecaps, a look of displeasure on his face as his hair fell haphazardly into his molten gold eyes.

In her hand was his hair-tie and she had no intention of returning it until she got an apology out of him. His comment about her being "ugly" was uncalled for and she knew he knew it. He huffed, a vain attempt to move the locks of hair from his sight, but the air fell against her exposed neck, warm and humid. She swallowed nervously as she realized how…compromising they looked at that moment and strained against the hands that held her arms in place.

"Let go."

"You let go, girl."

She frowned and glared up at him, the fist that held his hair-tie captive tightening even more; "Not until you apologize."

"I don't have to apologize to the likes of you. And besides, what do I possibly need to apologize for?"

Her jaw clenched in anger and she was sure that if he hadn't been holding her hands stationary, she surely would have let her fists fly at him for the arrogant tone he had just spoken to her in. "For calling me ugly!" she shouted at him, straining up as far as she could so that she was almost nose-to-nose with him, challenging him to contradict her.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes at her, "I never said anything of the sort, wench!"

"You did too! So apologize already!"

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did! You said I had bags!"

His face scrunched up in confusion before giving her an odd look. "I was joking."

She frowned and looked away, "Still…you didn't need to go that far."

Heaving a sigh of annoyance, he released her and stood up, silent as she sat up and stared at the floor. What a jerk…calling her that and then pretending that he hadn't meant it.

"Are you going to sit there and sulk or are you going to join me downstairs?" he asked her, and she looked up at him in anger and confusion. His face was neutral…a rare occurrence for him but she had noticed that even though she could spark his anger faster than anything else could, her presence did seem to calm him just as often.

"You think this will resolve itself by forgetting that it happened? Fat chance, Zuko!" she said heatedly, arms crossed and she looked away. He continued to stand in front of her, watching her—she could feel his gaze on her—and chanced a glance at him. A contrite look had manifested itself on his face and she looked at him fully when he shifted his gaze to the floor between them.

"I didn't mean it. It was just bantering."

She eyed him carefully and upon seeing the sincerity of his words, she nodded briskly. "All right…but don't say that again about me!"

A cocky grin replaced the look of contriteness and she rolled her eyes heavenward. "Don't worry. Next time I'll only say it if it's true."

Blue eyes hardened and narrowed at laughing gold. He could be a real jackass sometimes… "Do and I'll drop kick you so hard you'll land at the North Pole!"

He actually had the audacity to laugh at her threat and that fact caused her to pout and grab her shoes. Slipping them on as she headed to the door, she ignored his amused call for her to wait. Nope. Sorry. Not happening. If he was mean enough to _laugh_ at her, then she wasn't going to wait for him at all.

She had just reached the middle of the hall at the inn when she felt his hand on her shoulder, pulling her to a halt. A sigh of exasperation escaped her and she gave him a dead-panned expression. He still had that cocky grin on his face and amusement was still evident in his eyes but…oddly enough, there was a tenderness in his eyes that she had seen perhaps only once or twice before.

"What?" she voiced nervously when he said nothing. His grin changed to a smile that matched the look in his eyes, and she felt her stomach flutter as if she had swallowed a hundred draconi butterflies.

"Let's go get breakfast."

And with that, he released his grip on her shoulder and continued down the hallway. She blinked a few times, staring at the spot he had occupied only a moment beforehand before turning and glaring at his retreating back. How dare he make her feel that—that—that nervous! Jerk…

She jogged lightly to catch up to him, the growl of her stomach telling her that calling peace in favor of food was perfectly acceptable right now; and as she stopped beside him at the top of the staircase, he did something so unexpected that she nearly took a tumble down the stairs. He turned to her, brushed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss, and then turned to descend the staircase, not bothering to see if she would follow.

Again, she was left blinking and staring at the spot he had previously occupied only seconds ago, only this time, a hand hesitantly reached up to cover her mouth in surprise. He had just…kissed her… No way… That was the first time he had done _anything_ remotely…intimate…aside from holding her hand for perhaps ten seconds at the most…

"Katara! Are you going to eat or not?" he called up to her, his tone annoyed but she ignored it in favor of a genuinely bright smile. _Today_, she decided, was going to be a _good_ day…


	5. Virtue

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

* * *

Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Title: Virtue

Author: Tiasha

* * *

Type: One-shot/Drabble

Word Count: 866

* * *

He had never been fond of the Fire Nation; _that_ was a well known fact within their group of three...er four… It was going to take some getting used to having that little earthbending girl around now. So when the two Fire Nation citizens who had been hunting them, **_joined_** them, he had been flabbergasted and outraged. It was ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! And he had made it quite clear that he was unsupportive of the decision to allow them to join. And he had been _especially_ unsupportive when his baby sister began spending time with the stuck-up, arrogant prince.

His opinion however, was one he had to grudgingly change…or revise at least. The pain in the ass excuse of a prince had gained his gratitude and a smidgen of respect from him. And just _how_ had that happened one might ask? Simple. Zuko had defended his baby sister when there had been no real need to.

Sokka could remember that day quite clearly, although how could one forget? It wasn't everyday that your younger sister had been mistaken as a prostitute. Now how that had happened was still unknown to him, since their group had split up earlier that day. Zuko had been designated to go with Katara, while he, Aang, Toph and Iroh had gone another way. Naturally, he'd been concerned so halfway through the day, he'd separated from the three smiling people of his group and searched for his sister and her…companion.

He'd turned a corner just in time to see some man grab Katara's arm and pull her to a stop, leering at her in a sleazy manner. Zuko had stopped as well, eyes narrowed and fists clenched at his sides; he had spoken to the man in such low tones, that Sokka had not heard what had been said. But the man's loud, slurred accusation that a whore had to do what she'd be paid to do and Katara's indignant cry of protest, had made the situation quite clear to Sokka. And his protective older brother streak had soared to the pinnacle of its capacity at hearing the crude remark.

Yet, he'd barely taken a step forward when Zuko's hand had shot out and grabbed the man's wrist and yanked it forcefully; the action had effectively released Katara and brought the man to his knees in pain and the exiled prince had continued to apply pressure. It seemed as if Zuko was intent on breaking the man's wrist when Sokka heard Katara say that they should leave. Angry gold eyes had swiveled to her and pinned her with a look of displeasure, but she had been unphased, saying simply that the man wasn't worth their time.

To Sokka's surprise, only a moment had passed before the young firebender had released the man and turned away. A hand was placed between Katara's shoulder blades as a means of getting her to move and she followed the gesture in a complacent manner, head held high. She acted as if the comment had not been made to her directly; and no one stopped them or even dared whisper about the two as they continued on their way.

Shocked at this—_side_ of the young man, Sokka had stood rooted to the ground for a good five minutes before he decided that he should leave them be and return to his own group. After all, his sister seemed to be in capable hands. He needn't worry about her getting kidnapped by anyone other than Zuko… Wait minute! What had he been thinking! Leaving her alone with _him_! Had he gone crazy?

With one last glance at the couple, he had realized that maybe he had. But at least his little sister would be taken care of.

* * *

"Listen, I wanted to thank you, for earlier."

The young firebender narrowed his eyes at him, confusion slightly evident on his annoyed and brooding features. "What for?" he questioned warily. He had a right to be suspicious. Sokka just did not show gratitude to the two firebenders. Period.

Sokka averted his gaze from the small campfire to the young man who sat across from him. The flames caused shadows to flicker on the man's face, making the gold eyes seem more sinister than the man's heart really was. Everyone else had fallen asleep hours ago, and Sokka felt that now was the only time he'd have enough privacy to swallow his prejudice and thank the firebender.

"For my sister," he said, meeting Zuko's hard gaze unflinchingly. "You defended her virtue and…I'm grateful."

The young man snorted in denial, "It wouldn't have mattered who your sister was; I can't forgive a comment like that. It's dishonorable."

Sokka nodded in agreement, "At least we see eye to eye on that."

Zuko glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but did not return his gaze to meet Sokka's or say anything. He did nod in acknowledgment however.

"Well…thanks anyway. It's kinda nice not having to worry about her all the time."

"I never said I'd _protect_ her, so don't go getting your hopes up, peasant."

Sokka bit back a comment; they both knew Zuko was lying through his teeth.


	6. Musings

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply! Naturally any character that is not associated with the show belongs either to someone I have permission to use or to me. Please ask permission to use any character that I own should you desire to do so. Thank you. If there are any similarities between my work and another author's then I apologize. I suppose great minds DO think alike.

Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Title:** Musings**

Author: Tiasha

Type: One-shot/Drabbles

Word Count: varies

* * *

Sadly, it was not the first time that Iroh wondered if his nephew would ever again grace the world with a genuinely bright smile.

* * *

Katara had often found herself staring at the sparkling canvas of the night sky, wondering who this "powerful bender" Aunt Wu had mentioned was; ultimately, the stars never outright answered her, but the barest glimpse of a hint winked unbeknownst to her.

* * *

Sokka hadn't told his sister that her affections to the Fire Nation toddler (brief as they were) had disturbed him greatly; it had felt too much like a glimpse of the future, and that severely worried him.

* * *

Her motives for becoming father's favorite were unknown to all, least that she knew of; the mother who should have doted on her daughter (who had excelled at nearly everything and a prized jewel in nearly everyone's eye) had doted on her son instead—a boy who was slow in the arts of bending and naïve to the harshness of the world around him, despite his affinity to the flame.

* * *

Occasionally, in the deepest of his sleep, he could remember a time when his family had been whole…for the most part; he and his sister had run through the grassy fields that were somewhat rare in fire country, while his mother, uncle and cousin had followed at a leisurely pace. His father had never been in the picture.

* * *

He was a product of an age that had been extinguished centuries ago in the Fire Nation, a product of an ideal that wanted coexistence and harmony with the other bending nations; she had always taken pleasure in dominating and surpassing others and was therefore a product of the current Fire Nation, the product of an age that craved absolute sovereignty and power. Zuko would never become what she had been born to be; "You'll never catch up," she whispered to him, a smirk on her young face as they sat on the floor next to their mother and father, knowing fully well that he thought she was referring solely to firebending.

* * *

She could still remember the day her mother had been taken by the Fire Nation; her last glimpse of her mother as she calmly and nonviolently followed the Fire Nation soldiers to their ship, was of her back—the back that most of her tribe believed she had turned on them. But Katara never believed it for a second.

* * *

She still was not sure if leaving her parents without even a good-bye had been the best idea, but she also knew that if she had even uttered the very thought of leaving them, her father would have placed her under complete house-arrest; looking in the direction she assumed the grinning boy who steered the flying animal was, she figured it had been the best decision she could have made. She only hoped that he would forgive her someday for having done what she believed she'd had to.


End file.
